The Head Or The Hearts?
by LyricsArePoetry
Summary: The Doctor and The Trickster come face-to-face
1. AN

Author's Note for _The Head Of The Hearts:_

It's actually quite freaky that I'm writing an Author's Note in a chapter of its own because the last time I did it it was for a Noughts and Crosses story which I think is going to turn out to be my longest story ever (not going to happen this time I PROMISE!). But hey who, you aren't here to here about my Noughts and Crosses story are you?

My friend Cheri (username Cheri1) originally had the idea of Ten and the Trickster coming face-to-face after seeing _The Temptation Of Sarah Jane Smith, _because the Trickster has effected the Doctor a few times but never gone to him directly. And me being typical me ignored the fact that I had a million stories started/planned and said I'd write it.

Which I did. Some of it anyway. I wrote two chapters, by the end of which the major disaster had already happened and the whole story was rushed and rubbished. I knew this, but most people said it was good. Then I got a couple of brilliant reviews from…someone who's username I can't remember…which was telling me the problems with the stories, but wasn't harsh, it was just honest and helpful. Really helpful. So I did what I had sort of been thinking about doing anyway, I deleted the original, and told that reviewer and Cheri that I was going to rewrite it, longer and hopefully better. And this is me, rewriting it.

Peace Out.

~~Donna Noble~~

Ps…I forgot to mention there's virtual cookies for all who review.

Pps…some chapters may be short, but that's only to stop loads of stuff happening in one chapter, and hopefully will pace the story out. Also I may go a few weeks between chapters sometimes, because of the Noughts and Crosses story mentioned above, and other FF I'm writing, and because of College work.

Ppps…Shutting up and letting you read now. :p!


	2. Lonely

-1_The Head Or The Hearts:  
Chapter One:  
Lonely:_

'Thank you' said the Doctor to Wilf with a sad smile. He walked into the TARDIS without looking back again. Once he was in the TARDIS he took off his rain soaked jacket and threw it to one side. The top of his white shirt appeared to be grey where the rain had got to it. The dampness of it irritated the Doctor only slightly. It was at the back of his mind while everything that had just happened was at the front.

_They've all gone someone else. And that's fine_

The Doctor wondered when he had became such a good liar, as he walked around the TARDIS and leaned on the controls, then he realised it wasn't really a lie. It was good that Rose had the other him. It was good that Martha had Tom. It was good that Sarah Jane had Luke - however that happened. Good that Jack had Torchwood. And that Donna had…her family. Of course that was good. But there was a small, selfish part of the Doctor who wished he still had one of them. Just so that he wouldn't be alone anymore. He never really got used to being alone, and he till hated it. It was so lonely. There was nothing and no one. Just him and the TARDIS. An infinite space and no one to share it with. Each time he entered it alone the space felt bigger, and more empty, just reminding him of what he couldn't forget. He would always end up alone.

He thought about how the past day could've been so different. How Donna and Rose could've both been with him. How he could've been happy, not lonely.

'The Universe it never on my side' The Doctor muttered into the empty space of the TARDIS.


	3. Rose

A/N: If there's any spelling mistakes, it's because I don't have word, so have to use WordPad which doesn't have a spell checker! Sorry it's been so long since updating, I was working on a Noughts and Crosses story loads, and whenever I came to work on this my mind went blank! I think it turned out all right though. You'll have to let me know! So that means; R&R please!:

Chapter 2:

Rose:

The Doctor's mind continued to be a mess of memories and painful thoughts and he just stayed leaning against the TARDIS. Not in any sort of rush to go anyway. After a while the TARDIS jolted into action. Through the unexpectedness of the movement the Doctor was thrown to the ground of the TARDIS. He was slow in hs attempt to stand back again because as he tried to the jerky-ness of the movement threw him back down again. Once he was finally safe on his feet, the Doctor looked at the TARDIS screen, hoping to find out the cause of the sudden disturbance. He found the TARDIS was moving back through Time, while staying in Chiswick.

Worried about not being in control of his TARDIS, the Doctor frantically attempting to regain control. He sped around the controls pushing buttoms and pulling levers. 'Stop it' He moaned on numerous occasions when the TARDIS seemed to what to do the opposite of what he was trying to do. No matter what he tried the TARDIS refused to be thrown off course. Keeping his eyes glued to the TARDIS screen the Doctor realised they had stopped travelling in time, and where now just travelling in space, not far either.

With a final the TARDIS stopped. The Doctor's first thought was to get away from there, but curiousity and wonder soon took over. He stepped outside the TARDIS to find himself - as expected - still in London, but back before the Dalek's arrived. He couldn't understand how the TARDIS had moved here out of his control. London looked so normal as he walked around. There was a man in a red plastic jacket selling a _big issue, _while people rushed around to whereever they were going. Red buses and black taxis along with normal cars filled the road. This was definitely just London. Nothing unusual, nothing different, just London. Normal London in no way expecting a major catastrophe to hit them any time soon, like the Doctor knew it was going to.

Knowing about something that was going to happen before it was going to happen, but not being able to do anything about it was one of the things the Doctor hated about time travel. He loved most things about it, but not being able to change things was one part of it that he hated. His mind forced him to remember when he and Donna landed in Pompeii

_'20,000 people die' Donna had cried desperately at him to get him to try and change his mind about not saving them._

_He had appeared annoyed at the time, because he was upset that he couldn't change it. He snapped back at her 'And that's my fault?'_

_She has looked at him. He had seen upset and anger in that look. 'Right now, yes it is' she had told him._

He knew Donna had learnt to realise that it wasn't his fault when something was fixed, but he still felt to blame.

_'It's not only Pompeii, it's me, I make it happen' he had let his emotions get away from him, but at the time he didn't care. He was about to kill 10,000 people, to stop the world from being destroyed._

_His hands where placed securely over the lever, which would blow up Mount Vesuvius, but it didn't matter how tight his grip was, this was going to be one of the hardest things he had ever done. Donna gently placed her hands over his, and smiled reasurringly at him. Together they pushed the lever down. Together they saved the world. Together they killed 20,000 people. Together._

The Doctor hoped with both his hearts that nothing was going to happen in London now that was going to cause him to have to help the Daleks to stop a paradox. He wasn't sure he could do something like that again. Alone.

'TARDIS' he whispered to himself, and turned to walk back to it.

'Doctor'

He was stopped in his tracks when he saw Rose in front of him.

'Rose?' he said.

'Doctor, you have to change it' Rose told him. 'I can't stay with him, he's not you. You have to change it'

'I can't do anything' replied the Doctor. 'I'm sorry, Rose, he's a lot like me, you'll be happy with him'

'NO!' Rose practically screamed at him. 'He's not like you. He's only like you in looks. Nothing more. Doctor, please, you have to change it. We deserve to be happy, together. You can change it. You can stop me being trapped and you can stop Donna losing her memory.'

'How?' He asked, skeptically. There couldn't be anything he could do. If he did anything it would cause a paradox.

'Stop yourself being hit by the Dalek's shot' replied Rose.

'But Rose that...' He cut off when he realised Rose was no longer standing in front of him.

DWDWDWDW

As he walked back to the TARDIS, the Doctor tried to convince himself he wasn't going mad. Rose had definitely been there, right in front of him, talking to him. It was definitely her. The same desperate look on her face as when he was convincing her that the human him really was him. The same blonde hair, the same purple leather jacket, the same everything. Yet she couldn't have been there. Rose Tyler was in the parallel world, with her Mum and Dad, and brother, and the human him. She couldn't have been in front of him. The Doctor realised something, Rose Tyler was in the parallel world in the future. At this procise moment Rose Tyler was probably travelling between worlds trying to find him. But that Rose wouldn't have known that she would be dumped with a human version of the Doctor. _Dumped _the Doctor was shocked at the way he worded that in his thoughts. Had he really dumped Rose there? Hadn't he just given her the change of a happy, human life? That was what he meant to do at least. Maybe he didn't. Maybe he had just dumped her. Maybe the Rose who had appeared in front of him was the Rose he had ran up to when he was shot. Maybe she did know about the human Doctor before, because the other world was already ahead. She had told him that all she had seen was darkness, but maybe now she had seen the human Doctor and was trying to stop that. But that would been...

'A paradox is already in place'

It wasn't until he noticed the strange looks from people passing by that the Doctor realised he had said the last bit aloud. If this Rose was the Rose he left with the human him, but the same Rose who was going to run up to him before he was shot, that was already a paradox. And if a paradox was already in place, then the only way to stop it could be to do what Rose said. To stop himself being shot.


	4. Donna

Chapter 3:  
Donna:

London used to work as a home in a way to London. It was the place he always returned to after he lost Gallifrey. It was the place he met all the people he travelled with afterwards. Now London was just a complete reminder of everyone he'd lost. He wondered why he let himself get close to people so easily when he knew he always lost them again.

Rose was there though. Right in front of him, talking to him. She was upset, she still loved him - goodness only knew why - she still wanted to return to him. She didn't want to stay with the double. How had Rose got to him though? How could she have got back to this universe? It wasn't possible. He had just closed the walls between the universes, there was no way she could've come back through without causing the instant collapse of those worlds. But she was there. It was definitely his Rose in front of him. He sighed as he realised how he had worded it in his mind. She wasn't his Rose. She was never, and would never be his Rose. And that was his fault. If only he could have said…said…if only he could've said the 'L' word. Now he couldn't even think it, it hurt to much. He could feel it though, right now it felt like hell. A burning sensation of loss. He lost Rose because he was a coward. He lost Rose to his double because he wasn't quite human enough.

The Doctor hadn't been taking any notice of anything as he had been walking through that London street, he knew he should just head straight back to the TARDIS, attempt to do something with his life. He didn't though, he kept walking while he was thinking until something caught his eye. In a window of a shop he saw Donna stacking shelves. Wonderful, brilliant Donna, who saved the world…the universe from Daleks was putting soup onto shelves in Sainsbury. He stared through the window at her for a moment, making sure it looked like he was looking at something on sell there. He couldn't believe his eyes. What was Donna doing at Sainsbury? Surely she should've been doing something amazing? This was Donna. The Doctor cursed himself for not realising straight away. Donna never believed she was brilliant before meeting the Doctor, so when she forgot the Doctor she would've got back to not believing there was anything brilliant about her. The Doctor felt one of his hearts break all over again as he saw her there. She looked so miserable. He entered the shop without thinking. Once he was in he regained control of his actions and thought about what he was doing. He couldn't go up to Donna, he couldn't speak to her, or let her see him. He knew he should just turn around and walk back out but he could seem to find the power to move his feet in the opposite direction. His hearts were controlling him now, not his head and he stepped forward. He went into another aisle so that Donna wouldn't see him. She couldn't see him, he couldn't see her, but he could hear her. He assumed she was talking to a friend or a colleague and although he knew it was rude and that he shouldn't, he stayed there listening.

She laughed bitterly 'As if, Shirl.' There was a sigh in her voice as she continued 'No. I used to think there was something more than just typing letters or stacking shelves, but not anymore. I've given up on thinking that someone is going to come along, whisk me away and make my life better…'

The Doctor couldn't listen any longer. His feet did the walking before his mind did the planning and seconds later he was out of the shop. He didn't stop walking once he was out. Still he didn't go back to the TARDIS. Still he wondered around London.

After a few minutes hating the fact that he was the reason Donna was so hopeless, the Doctor realised something. At this point in time him and Donna weren't on Earth. Donna wouldn't have been working in a supermarket at that time; she would've been doing what she should be still doing. If only fate hadn't got in the way. There was no way Donna could be in a Sainsbury worker then. It was impossible.

Two impossible things straight after each other. The Doctor was starting to wonder if his mind was playing tricks on him. Or whether it was his mind trying to tell him something. It wouldn't be selfish to want Donna to be happy, it was be selfless. It wouldn't be selfish to want Rose to be with him because Rose never really wanted to stay with the double in the first place. Could he do something about it? Could he risk a paradox?


	5. The Hearts

A/N: I am so sorry it's been over 2 months!!! Forgive me and I'll try and go less than a month before updating again this time! R&R:

Chapter Four:  
The Hearts:

The Doctor ran a hand through his hair in an attempt to clear his mind, as he continued to wonder through London, not caring where he was going. Everything that had happened was running through it, not giving him a moments peace. He couldn't make sense of it at all. The more he tried to clear it up to messier it became. The less he tried to think the more than crammed its way in. He couldn't understand it.

'_I don't understand' He had said, not long after Donna appeared in the TARDIS, in her wedding dress 'And I understand everything'_

Little flash backs like that one were making it even worse. He couldn't clear his head to think about it rationally and the more confused he became the more he just wanted to follow his hearts. The more he just wanted Donna and Rose back with him. The more he wanted to make them happy no matter what it meant for the universe.

'_Two universes would collapse' The Doctor told Rose.  
'So?' she asked, and despite the situation both of them laughed momentarily._

The Doctor sighed and for the first time since seeing Donna looked to see where he actually was. He could see the TARDIS not far in front of him and yet he knew he wasn't where he had landed. He was where he and Donna landed just before he land to Rose. Just before he was hit. Just before…

He hid behind a car so he wouldn't be seen by himself and Donna. His mind suddenly cleared and presented him with the two options. Stop the Dalek for hitting him and risk a paradox or do nothing, leave and let Donna lose her memory and Rose stay with the other him. Do nothing and let Donna believe forever that she's nothing. Or change it and let her be happy.

'Why don't you ask her yourself' The Doctor heard Donna say. He looked from behind the car and knew he was running out of time.

Leave it and be misery… Change it and be happy. Leave it and keep time safe… Change it and risk effecting the whole of time… Leave it and be alone… Change it and have Rose and Donna.

He stood up quickly and shouted 'Rose, shoot it'

He hid back behind the car enough for Rose not to be able to see him, but so he could still see her. The confusion at hearing the Doctor's voice but not from in front of her, caused Rose to pause for long enough to see the Dalek. She stopped running quickly and pointed her gun at it. Within seconds the Dalek was scattered into a million pieces.


	6. Together

Chapter 5:  
Together

The Doctor walked back into the TARDIS feeling numb. He didn't know what to think or what to expect. Once he was back in the TARDIS it transported itself. The Doctor barely even noticed the movely it was so gently and he was so lost in his thoughts that he barely knew what he was thinking about. Once they landed, the Doctor looked to see where he was. The first thing he was Donna and Slyvia hugging andhe couldn't help but smile.

'But it's still not safe' Sylvia insisted, worriedly. The Doctor couldn't help but think this was a typical parental responce, as it was the same thing Jackie Tyler had said so long ago. As he thought about Jackie, he thought about Rose, and wondered if she was still here.

Donna smiled 'We'll look after each other'

That's when the Doctor saw Rose _was _still there. 'She'll be fine' she said softly.

'Yeah come on, sweetheart' Wilf said to his daughter 'Our Donna won't take any messing from anyone'

Sylvia smiled slightly and said goodbye to Donna before Donna and Rose walked into the TARDIS.

'Home at last' Rose muttered, louder she said 'So where are we going?'

'I was thinking Christmas in the 1800s' said the Doctor, bouncing around the TARDIS. He was tempted to just run up to Donna and Rose and hug them just because they were there but he didn't fancy any strange looks or a slapped face sohe didn't.

'As long as it doesn't involve Charles Dickens and ghosts it's all good' Rose said.

'What? You mean that actually happened?' asked Donna in disbelief 'I thought he was making it up to look big'

'As real as the TARDIS we're standing in, it happened'replied Rose.

'OI!' The Doctor exclaimed still smiling 'I don't make things up to look big'

''Course not' muttered Donna 'Whu are you grinning like a Chesshire Cat?'

'It's a good day, Little Miss Noble' replied the Doctor. 'We've defeated the Daleks, saved the Earth, got an old friend back, didn't lose anything. It's all good' and he was trying to hide that fact that he was terrified of it all slipping away again.

Rose smiled back at him 'I'm glad to be back too'

'Me too, maybe Spaceman will stop being so depressing now' said Donna.

'Unlikely' commented Rose.

'Aaaaaaaaaanyway' the Doctor said, attempting to change the subject 'London; Christmas; 1800 and something'

'You mean we actually landed where we're supposed to be?' asked Donna amazed.

'Careful, Donna, you might insult the TARDIS' The Doctor told her.

'No, I might insult the once controlling the TARDIS' Donna replied 'You are aware of the difference between Rome and Pompeii right?'

'Of course... One doesn't have a Volcano' replied the Doctor 'Now come on... all out'

DWDWDW

The Doctor found out from a rude, little kid, that was 1951 and Christmas Eve. They had stepped into a picturesque Victorian Christmas scene; snow had lined the ground and was still falling from the sky; horse and carriages were all around. But of course, the Doctor, Rose and Donna didn't have much chance to just admire the views and celebrate Christmas.

In 1951 the trio met a human claiming to be a Time Lord called the Doctor, and his companion, Rosita (Rose liked her name, while Donna like her attitude). Met cybermen, and dog-like cybershades. And eventually fought a 200-foot tall CyberKing - "It's like something out of power-rangers" Donna had commented - and saved London.

'All in a days work' Rose smiled. 'It's good to be back'

They found out that Rosita's Doctor was in fact called Jackson Lake, and had an 8 year old son and who's wife had been killed. 'You must stay for Christmas dinner' Jackson insisted, when the danger had passed.

'No' the Doctor shook his head. 'I don't do domestic'

'You did for me, last year' Rose reminded him. 'If you can do it for me, you can do it for Jackson'

'It's different with you, Rose' Donna muttered.

'How is it different?' Rose asked and Donna just raised an eyebrow, which said a lot more than any words could've.

'Dinner sounds good' the Doctor said to Jackson, just to avoid any more embarrassment.

* * *

A/N: I am sooooooo sorry! I said I'd be less than a month, and was over two months. Thing you can forgive me enough to hit the green button and review?


	7. Disaster

-1A/N: tbh I think everyone's given up on this story, I didn't have any reviews on the last chapter. I guess that's my own fault for going 2 months before updating. The update was quicker this time though, so if you read this chapter, please review. I won't give up on the story but it'd be good to know that there's at least one person reading it still. Carly. x

Chapter  
Disaster:

'Where to next, girls?' asked the Doctor, once they were back in the TARDIS, with most the enthusiasm he had had before coming to London 1851.

'D'you think he'll be all right, Doctor?' asked Rose, not answering the Doctor's question. She was still slightly worried about Jackson Lake.

'Jackson?' the Doctor checked 'yeah, with his son and Rosita I think he'll be just fine' he wanted to add something about how he'd be just fine as well now he had Rose and Donna, but he didn't want to appear too soppy or anything so he didn't.

Rose smiled, reassured by the Doctor's certainty.

'So where to next?' he asked, again. 'Forward or back in time? Earth or a different planet?'

'Back' came from Rose as Donna said:

'Forward'

Donna and Rose looked at each other and laughed. They tried again.

Donna said 'Earth'

Rose said 'Different planet'

The Doctor laughed. To the TARDIS he said 'Looks like I'm putting you on random'. He started to set the controls, not really taking any notice of what he was actually setting. 'Right. Random' he said, as he hit the last button.

The TARDIS jerked into life violently. Rose and Donna were thrown across the room, while the Doctor managed to stay on his feet because he was still holding onto the controls. 'Whoaa' he said. He attempted to move to look at the TARDIS screen but as it was still moving violently it wasn't easy. Once he made it, he held onto it tightly to stop himself falling. The screen simply told him they were moving forward in time, it didn't say when in time or where in the universe they were heading.

'What's going on?' Donna asked, struggling to her feet and trying to help Rose to her feet.

'I don't know' replied the Doctor honestly.

'You… don't know?' Donna repeated. 'Your TARDIS is moving like crazy and you _don't know?'_

'Yeah' said the Doctor. He didn't say anything about what had happened before when he changed time. He didn't say anything about now having a terrifying feeling that time was about to make up for what he changed. He didn't add that in.

With a final jerk the TARDIS grounded to a halt.

'Where are we?' Rose asked, trying to make sense of what it said on the TARDIS screen.

'Earth' The Doctor said, simply, confused. '2009'

'We've come back to when we left?' Rose asked, also confused.

'_Why _are we back here?' Donna moaned. 'When I stepped back into the TARDIS I did not want to come straight back home after one trip'

'I didn't bring us here' said the Doctor. 'I set the TARDIS on random, I had no control of any of the movements the TARDIS just made.'

'What does that mean?' asked Rose.

'It means…' the Doctor thought carefully before continuing 'It means something isn't quite right'

'_What _isn't quite right?' asked Donna.

'I _don't _know' replied the Doctor.

'Fat lot of good you are then' Donna said.

Rose stared at her, but spoke to the Doctor. 'Does she always sound so much time my Mum?'

'Sadly, yes' the Doctor replied.

'Oi' Donna said, and Rose giggled.

'We should go out to see what's not quite right' said Rose.

'Come on then' the Doctor said, and walked towards the door.

Rose pulled the door open and almost fell out.

'Rose!' the Doctor caught her and pulled her back to safety.

'There's nothing there' Rose whispered in shock. 'Just nothing'

'What?' Donna said with disbelief. She walked to the TARDIS door and looked out. Just like Rose had said, there was nothing there. Just darkness. Nothing but darkness.

'The darkness is coming' Rose said, slowly backing away from the door. 'This wasn't supposed to happen' she stared into space. 'I was supposed to get back. I was supposed to stop it, with you.' She looked at the Doctor 'We stopped it. I thought we stopped it'

The Doctor didn't reply. He didn't even look at Rose. Like she had been moments before, he just stared into the space of the TARDIS. How could he tell Rose and Donna that this was all his fault? How could he tell them that _yes _they did sort it out, but he had destroyed it all again.

'I don't understand' Donna was talking. Both Rose and the Doctor could hear her but neither of them were really taking it in. 'This is because of the Dalek? But we destroyed them. Everything was fine. How could this happen now?'

_Because I let my hearts rule at the wrong time _The Doctor thought. He knew he was going to lose them again now. He knew it was a pointless action he had taken before. Just one more adventure, just one moment of the truest happiness he had felt since before Gallifrey was destroyed, just one and now over. He didn't know how he was going to sort it out he just knew that he had to.

'Doctor' a voice said.


	8. Trickster

-1A/N: Those of you who watch SJA know that the Doctor and the Trickster have come face-to-face now, but since I started this months before that SJA episode, this is _technically _the first time the Doctor and the Trickster have come face to face

Chapter 7:  
Trickster:

The Doctor turned to where the voice had come from. There stood a cloaked man, or at least Rose and Donna thought it was a man at first glance. Then he looked up and they could see they were mistaken. His face was like that of a humans, but skin covered the area where his eyes should've been. His face was very sunken in, as though he was very old. The cloak which covered his whole body, and had a hood over his head, was black. His hands were just about visible, covered by black gloves

'Doctor…' Donna's voice was full of fear, and the fear was repeated on Rose's face. Aliens didn't get in the TARDIS. Only once had Rose known it happen and that was easily sorted. 'Who is that?'

'The Trickster' the Doctor replied. He pulled himself together, it was time to start using his head a bit more. He stood directly in front of the Trickster. 'You did this, didn't you?'

'It was what you wanted' replied the Trickster.

'No, no, no, no, no' said the Doctor. 'Don't give me that. This is never what I wanted. You tricked me'

'Clue's in the name' Donna muttered, trying to use sarcasm to hide her fear.

'I presented you with a choice' continued the Trickster. Rose and Donna noticed there was barely any emotion in his voice. It wasn't quite monotone, but it wasn't quite like normal speech either. 'It was you who made the decision'

'Oh you're good, I'll give you that' said the Doctor. 'Clever. Scheming. Powerful. You know just how to get what you want, don't you?'

'You made the decision' repeated the Trickster.

'What decision?' Rose asked.

'Doctor, what's he talking about?' asked Donna.

The Doctor turned to the two girls. There was no time like the present. Heck, there was no time _but _the present. He had the explain now, or he'd never get the chance to. 'I did this' he said, simply. He didn't know how to explain it.

'How d'you mean?' asked Rose.

'You were right, both of you' the Doctor said. 'We did stop the daleks. We did safe the universe, but it didn't end like this'

'I don't understand' Donna spoke, and Rose's face said the same thing.

'Before the daleks were destroyed, another version of me was created' explained the Doctor. 'Out of my hand, but he was half-human. He was the one who destroyed the daleks. Rose, you stayed in the parallel world…'

'No' said Rose. 'I wouldn't have left you again'

The Doctor took a deep breath. 'You didn't have a choice. I left you there. With the other me. The half-human one, you would've been able to spend your life with him. With your Mum, you Dad, and Tony'

Rose didn't say anything, she was trying to take it all in.

Donna dared to ask, after a moments pause 'What about me?'

'You had to lose your memory' said the Doctor. He avoided eye contact with both girls. 'You were there when the other me was created, you were the reason he was half-human, you became half-Time Lord. You had to forget everything from when you first met me to stop you from burning up'

'I forgot you even existed?' asked Donna, mostly rhetorically. 'I forgot everything'

'Did anyone die?' asked Rose.

The Doctor shook his head.

Donna turned to the Trickster 'Why are you doing this?'

'Chaos is good.' replied the Trickster simply. 'He made the decision. It was what he wanted'

'NO!' Rose screamed, she marched in front of the Trickster. 'He never wanted this, you're just twisted, you're manipulative' Rose knew that someone like the Trickster wouldn't care about insults, but she just wanted to scream and shout.

'Rose' the Doctor gently pulled her away from the Trickster.

Rose avoided looking at the Doctor, she didn't want him to see the tears in her eyes. The fear that was only moments away from losing him. Again.

The Doctor knew one thing for sure about the Tricksters; he can only do things with agreement.


	9. Parted

-1A/N: I never promised a happy ending, so don't hold the ending against me

Chapter 8:  
Parted:

'Donna, Rose' The Doctor stood in front of them. How could he tell them that losing them was the best thing to do. 'I- I'm so sorry'

Donna managed a small smile, while didn't even attempt one. 'It's ok' Donna said. She didn't believe it was ok, but she had to be strong. 'We had this extra time and it's been amazing. I know I won't remember it, but it'd definitely worth it'

Rose wiped her eyes in a vain attempt to stop her tears.

'Rose' the Doctor said. What could he say to her, she already looked heartbroken.

Rose didn't reply, she simply wrapped her arms around him. He held her closely. Eventually she found her voice 'I don't want to lose you'

'You won't' the Doctor promised. He didn't add _but I'll lose you _but he was thinking it. 'You'll have the other me. He's just like me, I promise'

Rose shock her head. She didn't want to argue that no other person could possibly be like the Doctor, she didn't want her last memory with her Doctor to be arguing. As she thought that she became unsure if she'd even remember this when time was put right.

'How are you going to put it right?' asked Donna. _Put it right, _how could destroying so many lives be _right _and yet here it was the only right thing.

The Doctor turned back to the Trickster. 'I take back my decision.'

The Trickster stared at the Doctor with his blank eyes but didn't speak.

'Come on' The Doctor sounded angry, but really he was just desperate. Desperate for this to be over as soon as possible. He didn't want to lose them, but he didn't want them to stay there too long knowing they could disappear any second. 'I know you can only keep this like this with my permission. Well you _don't _have it.'

The Trickster still didn't speak, he simply raised his hand. The TARDIS went black.

'Rose, before you go…' the Doctor said quickly, he needed to say it, this truly was his last change, but he couldn't.

'It's all right, Doctor' Rose's voice was just as quick. They couldn't see each other, and they didn't know how long it would be until they would be parted forever. 'I know. I love you too'.

The TARDIS jolted.

HOH

The Doctor stood up slowly. He wasn't wearing his jacket, and his white shirt was soaked, as though he had just come out of the rain. It hadn't been raining in 1851 though.

_1851 _with Donna and Rose. The Doctor sighed to himself and looked around the TARDIS. It was empty again. Just him. For a genius he had been pretty stupid trying to change time. So many times in his previous regenerations he had wanted to undo thing that had happened, but he had never dared. He knew messing with time was never an answer. And once again, he was as he always was. Alone.

**The End**


End file.
